Across Both Sides of the Mirror: The Heroine’s Journey

In the hero’s journey, the protagonist typically goes on an unforeseen quest, faces obstacles, learns from them, and returns home transformed. Though the changes are both internal and external, the insights are mostly gained from the outer and physical challenges. This story structure is usually focused on one’s destination.

On the other hand, the heroine’s journey is internal. The protagonist journeys into themselves, traces back their history, heals their inner wounds, surrenders to the flow of their life, and emerges back anew. The late and absolutely brilliant Ayesha K. Faines of Women Love Power explained the concept beautifully when analyzing the way the heroine’s journey is portrayed in one of my favorite novels and movies, Waiting to Exhale: “They get to their happily ever after not when somebody saves them, but when they accept that their life is changing. They surrender to the present. They surrender to what’s happening. They embrace the lessons that life is teaching them. And they allow themselves to be guided into their ideal outcome.” This story structure is usually focused on one’s inner journey.

 In my debut novel, Across Both Sides of the Mirror, Nova believes her existence is on a cul-de-sac. She feels paralyzed by her circumstances. She must look into herself, identify the point in her history when she got stuck, face what wounded her, and accept what her life is now. In the end, she can either surrender to the flow and emerge anew or fight the current and sink.